Cessna 172N accident near Des Moines, Iowa, September 27, 1999
On September 27, 1999 at about 3:46 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738FA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decisions which led to fuel exhaustion. A factor relating to this accident was the telephone pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1999 · about 3:46 am local time
- Place
- Des Moines, Iowa · Des Moines International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738FA · registry record · serial 17269933
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that 'he encountered engine failure' at 3,000 feet mean sea level. The pilot performed a forced landing to a street in a residential area, 1.6 miles east of the Des Moines International Airport, Des Moines, Iowa. The pilot said, 'Upon landing, I struck a telephone pole with the left wing.' Examination of the airplane's two main fuel tanks revealed no fuel. Approximately 1 pint of fuel was recovered from the accumulator tank and lines to the engine. No other anomalies were found.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 79 hours in all; 42 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 79 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,016 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 1999; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARV Woodruff WI
- Destination: DSM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:38 am from DSM, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N738FA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.